Comment: When you think of New Glarus one thing comes to mind – beer! The New Glarus Brewery is one of the US’ preeminent microbreweries and justifiably so – every beer they produce is an excellent representation of its style. From pale ale to barely wine and everything in between, NGB always seems to deliver. They have gained so much fanfare over the years some of the other great things in town have been overshadowed…great things like the Glarner Stube.

The Stube has fabulous food, starting with their traditional Swiss fondue. The ooey gooey melty goodness comes in a massive crock and stays liquefied throughout the entire dipping process thanks to its own burner. The gargantuan portion does serious damage to any hunger and while it’s a tough task to take on before a plate of Friday Fish, it’s something that simply must be done.

The Glarner Fry is composed of a $17.00 lake perch or the more popular $13.00 cod. Both fish share the same hefty beer batter which is a bit much on the 3 delicate perch butterflies but well-suited to the meatier cod. While the perch itself is smooth and flaky it gets lost under the beefy coating while the cod is more balanced.

Roesti are a traditional Swiss hash brown-style potato and although they cost a couple bucks extra, are well worth it. The spuds come family style, are loaded with Swiss cheese, and really hit the sweet spot. When all was said and done our stomachs were stuffed and all that remained on the mother plate was a translucent sheen of grease.

Big beer batters necessitate a big and bold tartar sauce and the Stube’s stuff fit the bill. It was pungent but came in a tiny cup that didn’t even last until the perch was gone. Alas, I could likely have gotten more, but was so stuffed with fondue and Roesti that it wasn’t even necessary.

In addition to all the melty cheese and deep fried delights there was also a choice between soup, salad, or slaw, which seemed like a prime opportunity to do something a bit healthier. The salad of mixed greens I chose was crisp and clean, but little else. There was also no bread served although maybe it was just kept on reserve since we had plenty with the fondue? I don’t know, but regardless, I don’t think it would have gotten eaten if it had come.

The Glarner Stube is a special place and really piles on the food like few others can. While the batter on the perch wasn’t prefect nearly everything else was which made for an all-around enjoyable experience. Overall, we recommend this Fish Fry but highly recommend the Glarner Stube in general. It’s a gem.